Phew. The NFL is a fun league.

The Denver Broncos have traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears (pending a physical examination). I am not going to go into details about the trade because this story is going to be on every news station today but I can throw in my 2cents.

What a deal!

I like both QBs involved in the trade, Cutler and Horton.

I remember watching Horton during his rookie year (camp and preseason) and thinking, "this guy definitely has some talent". I told my brother at that time that Kyle Horton should be able to play in the NFL for sure; and then I picked up Horton for my Fantasy Football team that season. Unfortunately, the Bears lost their minds in giving the reigns to Rex Grossman and it looked like Horton would not get a chance to reach his potential. Fast forward a few years until today and it looks like Horton has finally made a name for himself - just not on the football field. He will now (potentially, assuming the trade goes through) go down in history as part of the Jay Cutler trade.

As for Cutler, he would do well to embrace this deal whole-heartedly. He is leaving an increasingly competitive division in the AFC West to go to a relatively easy NFC North division. Nothing can beat having to play the Packers, the Vikings and the Lions twice every season; anything short of 3 wins versus that division would be a disappointment. That leaves 10 games for the Bears to pound out wins. Something tells me the Bears will be making some noise next season and I can not wait for the official 2009 schedules to be announced.

One thing is for sure, the August 30th preseason matchup between the 2 teams will be sold out.

Both teams come out as winners in this trade. The Broncos are poised to start off the Josh McDaniels era with a fresh bang along with 10 draft picks. The Bears are poised to make another deep playoff run with the acquisition of Cutler and Orlando Pace along with (most likely) a newly minted WR from the draft. If the Cardinals can make the Superbowl, the Bears can do it too. Cutler certainly should not be lacking any motivation to prove himself.

2 other teams that greatly benefit from this trade are the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers no longer have an excuse if they do not win the AFC West division and the Vikings better start working the phones to acquire a Premier QB soon - for example, Donovan McNabb (McNabb and AP, imagine that!). This year's draft just got interesting.

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Meet Jeremy Maclin

A lot of people do not know about Jeremy Maclin, the 20 year old Sophomore (would-be Junior) from Missouri, but they will in a few months. This guy is probably the most dynamic runner since Michael Vick was in the league. I think he is that good.

Look at him on film there is no question that this guy is physically ready to bring his game to the Professional level. One of my theories about Kick/Punt return freaks at the collegiate level is that this is a pretty good indication of how good a ("skilled" - WR/CB/RB/FB/QB/SS) player can be at the next level - e.g. Wes Welker or even Lance Moore - and in the case of Jeremy Maclin, the guy is a pure athletic gem:

This guy is pure speed and explosiveness. I remember watching that Falcons-Vikings OT game where Mike Vick broke out that ridiculous run to win the game and the more video I see of Jeremy Maclin, the more I am convinced that this guy might be just about as close as it gets. He has that rare combination of speed, elusiveness and explosivenss which just confounds the mind. He shoots out of his routes with so much power and decisiveness; his hands are not bad either (he finished last year with 102 catches, a Missouri University record). His combined return TDs are also Missouri Tigers records - 3 Career punt return TDs and 2 Career kick-off return TDs. Did I mention that this guy is only 20 years old?!!

He is currently projected to go in the Top 10 of this year's NFL Draft and I would bet he will be in the Top 5. He is probably the closest thing to a sure thing in the draft pool. The sad (ironic) part is that the Lions have wasted so many picks on WRs in the past and now that there is a bonafide WR in the draft pool, they are going to be too snake-bit to dip in that proverbial jar again. The 8th pick belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars but I will not be surprised if Maclin is drafted 2nd by the St. Louis Rams - he is just that good. Vick has the added dimension of being a QB (with a ridiculously strong arm) but otherwise, I would put Maclin right there with MV7; just check out the video below to see the similarities:

Hopefully, that is where the similarities end. I fully expect Maclin to be one of (if not) the top Rookie for the upcoming season; and with Vick possibly returning next season, it makes for some exciting highlight reels.

Jeremy Maclin. Get familiar.

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